Beckham County, OK - Deaths: Wyatt L. Staples, 1911
Friday, 12 December 2008
Submitted by: delma25@pldi.net (Delma Tindell)

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STAPLES, WYATT L.
(16 Feb 1911, Thursday, Sayre Standard, Sayre, Beckham Co, OK):
Sheriff Cope received a phone message, Monday morning, from the sheriff at
Snyder, announcing that Wyatt Staples of this county, had been murdered,
and that bloodhounds and a posse of citizens were in pursuit of the
murderer.  No further particulars are obtainable.
The murdered man was about thirty years of age and unmarried.  During the
county seat fight between Mountain View and Snyder Mr. Staples had been
employed as night guard over the records, and it was during the night time
while he was on duty that the crime was committed.  His parents live
northwest of Sayre on Starvation creek, and a brother, Los Staples, a
fireman on C.R. & P. lives at Sayre.
A press dispatch to the Daily Oklahoma, under date of February 13, gives
the following report of the trouble leading up to the killing of Wyatt
Staples, which differs from reports received in this city immediately
following the shooting:
"C. E. Bull, county commissioner, was arrested at his home early Sunday
morning on the charge of feloniously moving the records of the new county
from the legal county seat.  The officers who arrested Bull, appeared at
his home about 4:30 o'clock Sunday morning, according to reports, meager
for the reason that the Mountain Park officials refuse to talk themselves
and refuse to allow Bull or any other of the arrested men to talk, ordered
Bull to consider himself under arrest.  Some say that the men were
disguised, while others declare they were not.  W. A. Brashears supposed
to be sheriff of the new county for a time, whose bond is said to have
been approved at a meeting of the commissioners in the jail at Mountain
Park, declared that the men who made the arrests were "deputies of his." 
He stated that he did not care to have their names get into the
newspapers.  He stated further that he was "not particular about any of
the trouble being made public."
"After the men arrested Bull, Wyatt L. Staples, a hired man, entered the
room it is said.  What passed is not known, but Staples was shot and
killed.
"Two prominent citizens of this city Mrs. Bull told the story of the
killing of Mr. Staples and the seizing of her husband.
"While they were talking, young Staples came into the room from his
bedroom and was met by one of the men, who put a gun into his face and
told him "to back up."  Staples backed into his room and just as he
crossed the threshold the revolver went off and Staples fell back into the
bedroom dead.  The bullet entered the left cheek just under the eye and
came out back of the right ear."
(17 Feb 1911, Friday, Sayre Headlight, Sayre, Beckham Co, OK):
In the county seat fight at Snyder a young man by the name of Wyatt
Staples, whose parents reside northwest of Sayre, was killed last Sunday
morning.  The particulars are meagre and but little is known except that
the young man was shot and died almost instantly.

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